Perfect SeptemMary Through Jewish Eyes, Part 7: Why Is Mary Called Queen of Heaven?
The title 'Queen of Heaven' often raises objections among Christians. Yet when viewed through the lens of the Davidic kingdom, Scripture reveals why Catholics honour Mary as the Queen Mother of the Messiah.
Previously in this series
Why Is Mary Called Queen of Heaven?
Among all Catholic titles for Mary, perhaps none is more misunderstood than Queen of Heaven.
For many Christians, the title sounds foreign to Scripture—or worse, as though it competes with the worship that belongs to Christ alone.
Yet the Catholic understanding does not begin with later tradition.
It begins with the kingdom of David.
To understand why Catholics call Mary Queen of Heaven, we must first understand how the kingdom of Israel was governed.
This perspective is explored in Father Daniele Russo's presentation:
Mary Through Jewish Eyes – Father Daniele Russo
A Common Misunderstanding
Some readers immediately think of the "queen of heaven" condemned by the prophet Jeremiah.
In those passages, the people of Judah had turned away from the Lord to worship a pagan goddess.
"The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger."
— Jeremiah 7:18 (NRSVA)
Jeremiah is condemning idolatry—the worship of a false deity.
Catholics do not identify Mary with this pagan goddess, nor do they worship her.
The title Queen of Heaven has an entirely different biblical foundation. It arises from the office of the queen mother in the Davidic kingdom, where the mother of the king held a unique place of honour and interceded on behalf of the people.
Understanding this Old Testament background is the key to understanding why Catholics use the title for Mary today.
The Queen Was the King's Mother
In most kingdoms, the queen is the king's wife.
Israel was different.
The kings of Judah often had many wives.
Instead, the queen held a unique office.
She was the mother of the king.
The Hebrew title for this office is gebirah, meaning "great lady" or "queen mother."
Throughout the books of Kings, the mother of each Davidic king is carefully recorded, underscoring the significance of the queen mother's office within the royal court.
The Queen Mother Interceded for the People
One of the clearest examples appears during the reign of Solomon.
Bathsheba approaches her son to present a request on behalf of Adonijah.
Scripture tells us:
"So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, bowed down to her, and sat on his throne. Then he had a throne brought for the king's mother; and she sat on his right."
— 1 Kings 2:19 (NRSVA)
Notice what happens.
The king rises to greet his mother.
He bows before her.
He places a throne beside his own.
She occupies the place of highest honour in the kingdom.
Then Solomon says:
"Make your request, my mother; for I will never refuse you."
— 1 Kings 2:20 (NRSVA)
This does not mean the queen mother ruled instead of the king.
Nor did she possess authority independent of him.
Her role was to bring petitions before the king and intercede on behalf of others.
If that sounds familiar, it should.
In Part 3, we saw Mary at the wedding feast at Cana bringing the needs of others before Jesus. Just as the queen mother interceded before the king in the Davidic kingdom, Mary brings the needs of humanity before her Son. Christ alone performs the miracle, but He freely chooses to act after His mother's intercession.
Jesus Is the Son of David
Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is repeatedly proclaimed as the promised Son of David.
At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel tells Mary:
"He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
— Luke 1:32–33 (NRSVA)
Gabriel's words are not merely telling Mary that her Son will be a king.
He is announcing that Jesus is the fulfilment of God's covenant with David—the eternal King whose kingdom will never end.
If Jesus is the eternal Davidic King...
who is His mother?
Following the pattern established throughout the Old Testament, the answer becomes clear.
She is the Queen Mother of the everlasting kingdom.
This Doesn't Compete with Christ
Some object that calling Mary "Queen" somehow diminishes Christ's kingship.
The opposite is true.
Mary possesses no authority apart from her Son.
Every honour she receives comes entirely because of who Jesus is.
Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, Mary's dignity reflects the glory of Christ.
To honour the Queen Mother is ultimately to honour the King who established her place within His kingdom.
Looking Back Over the Journey
Throughout this series we have traced one continuous biblical story.
In Genesis, Eve is created as the first woman.
In John's Gospel, Mary is repeatedly called "Woman," pointing us back to the New Eve.
At Cana, the New Eve leads others in obedience to Christ.
At the Cross, Jesus entrusts His mother to the beloved disciple, revealing her spiritual motherhood.
In Luke's Gospel, Mary is presented through striking parallels with the Ark of the Covenant.
In Revelation, the heavenly Ark is revealed immediately before the Woman clothed with the sun.
Now, in the kingdom of David, the mother of the King is recognised as the Queen Mother.
Each of these themes stands on its own.
Together, they reveal a remarkable picture.
The image of Mary in the New Testament is woven almost entirely from Old Testament threads.
The Early Church Saw These Patterns Too
The Catholic understanding of Mary did not appear centuries after the New Testament was written.
As the early Church reflected on the Scriptures, Christians repeatedly recognised the same biblical patterns we have explored throughout this series.
Around A.D. 180 — Mary, the New Eve
St Irenaeus of Lyons, who learned the Christian faith from St Polycarp, himself a disciple of the Apostle John, recognised that Mary's obedience reversed Eve's disobedience.
"The knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary; for what the virgin Eve had bound through unbelief, the Virgin Mary set free through faith."
Already, within living memory of the Apostles, the Church recognised Mary as the New Eve.
Around A.D. 400 — The New Adam and the Birth of the Church
Two centuries later, St Augustine of Hippo reflected on Christ's pierced side in John's Gospel.
Just as Eve came from the side of Adam, Augustine saw the Church being born from the side of Christ, the New Adam.
"This second Adam bowed His head and fell asleep on the cross, that a spouse might be formed for Him from that which flowed from the sleeper's side."
John's Gospel provides another remarkable detail.
Immediately before Christ's side is pierced, Jesus entrusts His mother to the beloved disciple:
"Woman, here is your son."
"Here is your mother."
— John 19:26–27 (NRSVA)
As we explored in Part 4, the Church is born from the side of Christ, while the New Eve is entrusted with a new spiritual motherhood over all Christ's disciples.
Around A.D. 375 — Mary as the New Ark
A homily attributed to St Athanasius of Alexandria presents Mary as the Ark of the Covenant, containing Christ, the true manna:
"O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all, O [Ark of the New] Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the Ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna—that is, the flesh in which divinity resides."
The passage provides an early witness to the theological connection between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant—a connection explored in Part 5 of this series.
Around A.D. 380 — The Mother of the King
During the same century, St Gregory Nazianzen honoured Mary as the "Mother of the King of the Universe" and the "Virgin Mother who brought forth the King of the whole world." Pope Pius XII later cited Gregory's words in Ad Caeli Reginam as evidence that the Church had long recognised Mary's royal dignity.
Around A.D. 750 — The Queen
Several centuries later, St John Damascene explicitly referred to Mary as "God's Mother and Lady and Queen over all created things."
"Assuredly she who played the part of the Creator's servant and mother is in all strictness and truth in reality God's Mother and Lady and Queen over all created things."
A Consistent Picture
Taken together, these voices trace a remarkable progression in the Church's reflection on Scripture.
First, Mary is recognised as the New Eve, whose obedience answers Eve's disobedience.
Then, Christ is recognised as the New Adam, from whose pierced side the Church is born, while Mary is entrusted with a new spiritual motherhood over Christ's disciples.
As Christians reflected more deeply on Christ's identity as the eternal Son of David, they also recognised the royal dignity that naturally belongs to His mother.
The Fathers did not begin with the title Queen of Heaven.
They began where Scripture begins.
Mary is the New Eve.
She is the Mother of the Messiah.
She stands beside the New Adam.
She becomes the spiritual mother of Christ's disciples.
She is the New Ark who bore the presence of God.
And because her Son reigns forever on David's throne, His mother is rightly honoured as the Queen Mother of His everlasting kingdom.
The title Queen of Heaven is therefore not an isolated Catholic doctrine.
It is the culmination of the biblical story.
A Fitting Conclusion
The series began by asking readers to look at Mary through Jewish eyes.
Along the way we discovered that the New Testament repeatedly draws upon the language, patterns and symbols of the Old Testament to reveal who Mary is in relation to Christ.
It is fitting, then, that we end where Luke's Gospel begins.
At the Annunciation, Gabriel declares that Mary's Son will inherit the throne of David and reign forever.
The rest of the New Testament simply unfolds the implications of that announcement.
If Jesus is the New Adam, Mary is the New Eve.
If Jesus is the true presence of God among His people, Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant.
If Jesus entrusts His mother to every disciple, she becomes our spiritual mother.
If Jesus is the eternal Son of David, then His mother is the Queen Mother of His everlasting kingdom.
Every Marian doctrine ultimately points beyond Mary to Jesus Christ.
Every title the Church gives Mary is ultimately a title that says something about her Son.
She is honoured not because she replaces Him, but because every privilege she possesses flows entirely from Him.
To see Mary through Jewish eyes is not to discover a different Gospel. It is to discover the same Gospel more deeply. Every title the Church gives Mary ultimately proclaims something greater about her Son. To see Mary through Jewish eyes... is to see Jesus more clearly.
Further Reading
Mary Through Jewish Eyes
- Part 1: What Is Typology?
- Part 2: Why Do Catholics Call Mary the New Eve?
- Part 3: Why Ask Mary to Pray for Us?
- Part 4: Why Is Mary Called Our Spiritual Mother?
- Part 5: Why Do Catholics Call Mary the Ark of the Covenant?
- Part 6: Is Mary the Woman Clothed with the Sun?
- Part 7: Why Is Mary Called Queen of Heaven?